


Ocean Floor

by ArabellaTried



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Pendragon Returns, Broken Merlin, Hurt Merlin, Immortal Merlin, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-24 10:36:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14953044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArabellaTried/pseuds/ArabellaTried
Summary: On a therapeutic trip out to the lake where his mother was killed, Arthur and his friends find a man floating in the freezing water, catatonic.





	1. Chapter 1

He knew the moment it happened.

 

Thump.

His heart started beating and he opened his eyes. At least, he thought he did. It was so dark.  He sighed, the water moving in and out of his lungs with unnatural ease. Dying wasn’t as easy as it should be.  


The man released his magic, let his body relax, and began to float upwards, Idly wondering how long he had been gone.  


As he rose, the darkness lightened. The pressure was slowly released.  


A gentle, humming warmth spread throughout his limbs, stiff from disuse. He broke the surface of the water, and his body shook with coughs as he expelled the brackish liquid.  


When his lungs seemed to be clear, the man's body relaxed into itself, allowing the darkness of unconsciousness to consume him once more.  


   
   
   


Arthur hadn’t stepped foot on a boat in 15 years. It had been 15 years since the worst storm he had ever seen. The boat shifted with the water, and Arthur blanched.  


“Hey mate, are you okay?” Leon put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “You look a little pale. We don’t have to do this you know.”  


Arthur took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat, Shaking his head at his childhood friend. “No, it’s fine.”  


They sat in silence, watching the grey depths churning beneath them over the railing of the small ship. 

Neither of the solemn pair moved, until the door to the cabin opened behind them. The ship's Captain, an easy going man, with a roguish smile and long brown hair, walked up behind them and cleared his throat quietly as his smile faded, causing both men to turn. 

“We're almost at the coordinates that you gave me sirs. We have about 6 minutes.”  


Arthur nodded quietly and turned towards the water once more. They were going back to the place where he had lost his mother at the age of 10. It was something that his therapist had recommended.  


Uther, Arthur's father, was firmly against the idea of Arthur going to a therapist, but his sister Morgana had gently insisted. He was glad he had taken her advice. He had now gone several weeks without a panic attack, though his dreams of drowning hadn't let up much.  


Arthur took a deep break and put his hands on the railing.  


“Do you see that?”  


Leon pointed out across the waves, and Arthur could see something bobbing in the frantic water. Bracing himself against the cold metal, he leaned forward, almost toppling with the realisation.  


“There's somebody out there! Gwaine!”  


The boat was turning before sentence was finished, heading towards the person in the water. No other vessel was anywhere to be seen.  
Soon they were slowing beside the prone figure. Leon grimaced.  


“There's no one else out here for miles. We're better off notifying the authorities and letting them deal with it. I really don't fancy the idea of hauling a dead body back to shore.” He pulled out his mobile phone and held it in the air, searching for a signal.  


Arthur looked fixedly at the man in the water, the deadly fear all but forgotten, concentrating on the situation at hand. He didn't look like he'd been out in the water for long. His skin was pale, yes, but it didn't have the grey pallor of the dead. His shaggy black hair looked just a bit too short to be fashionable, but it was hard to tell in the water.  


That's when he opened his eyes. 

~~~M~~~ 

“Oh my God!” Arthur's exclamation startled Leon away from his screen. He looked down to see the man, who now had his eyes open, but still laying completely motionless. He stared for a moment before jerking into motion, and grabbing a rope from the cabin. He tossed the end to Percy who began to tie the rope around a post on the railing, while Arthur was securing the rope around his own waist.  


“Wait a moment, Arthur!” 

But Arthur had already plunged into the water feet first.

The water was cold, just a few degrees above icy. 

He couldn't move. 

He couldn't think.

A tug from his waist pulled him towards the surface. He shook his head, taking deep, gulping breaths before looking around.  


He swam towards the man with strong, even strokes, coming up behind him. He thought for just a moment before he wrapped his arms around the man's torso, with the man's head leaning back onto his shoulder.  


“I've got him! Pull us up!”  


The three men remaining on the boat began to haul them to safety. As they left the water, Arthur regretted not tying the rope around the man as well, the waterlogged clothes weighing them down, though the man himself was incredibly slender. He used his knee to try to support the body in his arms as they were both dragged upwards.  


It felt like eternity, the limp weight heavy in his grasp and slowly slipping, when finally, suddenly, there were hands everywhere.  
He relinquished his hold and fell down onto his back, one hand resting on his rapidly rising and falling chest, the other fallen by his side.  


Leon and Percy were laying the man out on his back, and it was easier to see now that he was much younger than they had originally thought. His black hair was sticking out in every direction, and he was staring up at the sky. His lips were moving, but no sound was coming out.  


There were a few moments of silence permeated by heavy breathing on board before Gwaine cleared his throat.

“I'll just get us headed back towards shore then, yeah? He obviously needs at least the A and E.” He turned and headed back to the controls. 

Arthur rolled over, grunting at the protests that his body was making. Someone had brought out some blankets, and he grabbed one, shivering.  
“Leon. H-help him.”  


Leon snapped into action, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around the prone man. Percy reached his hand out to help Arthur up. Still shivering, he accepted the help.  
“We n-need to change.”  
Percy nodded and picked up the dark haired man with a grunt, carrying him into the cabin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur learns so little about the dark haired man, but there is something intriguing about him.

Inside the cabin, the warm air surrounded the men as they began the trek back to shore. Arthur stripped his shirt and wrapped himself in the blanket. Still shivering, he was pulled from his musings by whispering.

He looked up to see Leon, struggling with the clothes on the man on the floor, quietly explaining what he was doing as he tried to remove the dripping clothes.

The dark haired man was still lying motionless. He could've passed for a corpse, except for his chest going up and down, and Leon was trying to remove what appeared to be a thick sewn costume. 

He managed to pull it off, inhaling sharply at the amount of scars he uncovered. 

“Stop!” 

Leon glanced at Arthur, who had stepped away from the wall.

“He doesn't want you to see.” 

Arthur grabbed another blanket off of the floor and draped it across the man, kneeling to look at his face. 

There was a long silence as Arthur stared, and everyone jumped when the door swung open, letting a blast of cold air into the small cabin. 

“Alright men. We'll be docking in about 15 minutes, I've called the A&E. They'll have an ambulance waiting.” 

*~M~*

The next quarter hour passed in the blink of an eye and as soon as they reached shore, there was chaos as paramedics boarded; Taking measurements and lifting the man onto a stretcher in a whirlwind of medical jargon.

Then the man started screaming.

Thrashing. 

Screaming.

 

The men stood back and watched helplessly as they injected something that made the dark haired go limp and began to load him into the ambulance. As they started to close the door, Arthur jumped forward, but was stopped by one of the paramedics. 

“I'm sorry sir, No riders.” 

Arthur ran his hand through his hair and sighed as Gwaine and Percy traded a look. The shorter of the two men stepped forward, touching Arthur's arm gently.

“We did our part mate. They'll be able to take care of him from here, I mean, you probably saved his life. Let's go get a drink mate. I know this great place It's-” 

“I have to make sure he's okay. I don't know why this is so important...” Arthur let out a shuddering breath. “It's...I just have to be sure.” 

~~*M*~~ 

He could hear people talking in the distance, and over that, a repeated high pitched tone. 

The same pitch, over and over. 

It was beginning to irritate him and he wanted it to stop. He began to stir, and he felt a tugging sensation in his hand. Looking down he noticed something sticking out of his skin and began to panic. What sort of torture was this? The more he looked around, the faster and more insistent the beeping became. 

“Hey...Hey! It's okay. You're safe now.” 

That voice. 

He turned so quickly it almost hurt and tears filled his eyes. 

Arthur. The clothes were different but there was no mistaking his king. He reached up to touch, the annoying noise forgotten. Everything forgotten. 

There was yelling but he wasn't paying any attention. Then there were people in between him and Arthur. People in green and blue outfits were everywhere. 

One of them stepped in between he and Arthur and he couldn't breathe. He began to flail, He needed to get back to Arthur.

One of the women in blue was holding a small pin. The same kind that stole time from him before. 

He shook his head desperately, trying to push away from the throng of people around him. 

“Wait, you don't have to do that. He wasn't doing anything! Hey! STOP!!!!” 

They stopped advancing, as his Arthur pushed one of them to the side to stand by the bed. “Sir, he is becoming hostile, we need to sedate him.” 

“He's just scared. YOU are scaring him. Who is his doctor? Who do I need to speak with to make sure he is getting what he needs??”

“That would be me.” 

Arthur turned to see a tall man with dark, slightly curling hair. “Hello. My name is Dr. Lance. Any of you want to tell me what exactly is going on?” 

One of the braver nurses stepped forward. “The patient was being combative, We were attempting to administer a sedative.” 

“He was FINE until you all started crowding him!” 

“In that case, let's back off for just a moment. Nurse Katrina, please.” The doctor gestured towards the door and the nurse backed away from the bed. Arthur stepped forward and the man focused on him, calming almost immediately, his eyes never leaving Arthur as the doctor began to check charts and monitors, humming thoughtfully before checking his watch.

“Unfortunately as he was registered as a John Doe, and you are not family, I can't give you any information regarding his physical condition however as he seems to trust you, I will recommend that you be permitted to remain...Katrina?” 

The nurse stepped in with a police officer behind her; Dr. Lance turned to look at her with a chart in hand. 

“All of his vitals seem to be just fine, his body temperature is back to normal, they are free to come in, as long as the patient is awake and willing.”

The nurse stepped towards the bed, the dark haired man watched her, warily. “Sir, now that you are awake, I have some men here that would like to ask you a few questions. They are trying to help us find your identity. Is that okay?” 

The man shrugged, and began to pick at the gown on his front. 

“What is your name?” 

There was a brief pause before the man shook his head, and continued to tug at loose fibers. 

“Sir, can you speak?”

Another pause, and his head shook again. 

“Well that does put a damper on things...” The officer turned to Arthur. 

“What sort of relationship do you have with Mr. Doe here?” 

“I found him in the water sir, We were out on Avalon Lake.” 

The officer was writing as he spoke. “Was there anyone else around? Any other boats that he could have fallen off of?” 

“Not that I was able to see, though it was very foggy. I'm not sure how long he had been out there.” 

“I see...That's all for now. If you get any information at all, or remember anything we may have missed, please give us a call.” 

He handed a small card to both Arthur and the man has he turned towards the door. 

“Thank you officer.” The doctor turned his attention away from the doorway, and onto the two men.   
“Just so you know, visiting hours are over in about an hour. If he would like, you can close the door on your way out.” 

He winked at Arthur as he left the room, with the nurse following close behind. 

They were left alone. 

Arthur looked down at his phone, shooting off a quick text to Leon. When he looked up, the man was staring at him. 

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you awake. You've had a rough day, we both have. I'll leave you alone.” 

Arthur stood to leave and the man's hand shot out and grabbed his. 

He froze, and the man seemed to realize what he had done, as he pulled his hand back with an embarrassed look. 

“Look. I don't know you but I feel like I need to be here. I just need to know what you need..”   
The man held out his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand if it's confusing, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. Please let me know if there is anything that doesn't make sense. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on this site, and my first piece of writing in about 8 years, so please be gentle if you can.


End file.
